A Low-Cost Spectroscope for Observing Fraunhofer Lines

About This Paper

This article presents a do-it-yourself spectroscope that can be assembled from a diffraction grating, cardboard, and a slit cut with scissors — total material cost under €5. The instrument is sensitive enough to show the main Fraunhofer absorption lines in sunlight (sodium D lines, hydrogen Balmer series, magnesium b lines). A companion article provides step-by-step construction instructions and worksheet exercises.

Published In

Astronomie + Raumfahrt, 52(2), pp. 25–29, 2017.